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Thousands of Americans are expected to perish in cities during future heat waves

Blog note. Jesus indicated
that ‘fearful sights’ (various natural disasters) would occur leading up to the
time known as the Tribulation and Great Tribulation (a combined seven year
period of great destruction on earth). Although these types of things have
occurred in the past for centuries and thousands of years, they could be
identified as the ‘season of the times’ due to the ferociousness of these
events. They would be occurring in greater intensity, severity, frequency,
size, duration, scope … just like the pains that a woman experiences in labor
the farther along she is in the labor process. We are in the ‘season of the
times’ that comes just before the seven (7) year Tribulation/Great Tribulation
period
… And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and
famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be
from heaven. (Luke 21:11).
… And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and
in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea
and the waves roaring; (Luke 21:25)
… Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after
those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be
shaken; (Luke 21:26)
… This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
come. (2 Timothy 3:1)
Jesus is giving a series of prophecies about what to look for
as the age of grace comes to a close. These verses are several of many such
prophecies from throughout the Bible. 2017 was the worst year in recorded
history for the intensity, frequency, severity, duration and occurrence of a
large number of severe natural disasters worldwide. Earthquakes, volcanoes,
hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, torrential flooding, unprecedented wildfires in
unusual places, devastating droughts, excessive/scorching heat setting records
everywhere, record snowfalls in Europe and Russia. Snow in the Arabia. This
list can go on. Most studied Eschatologists believe these ‘fearful sights’ and
massive natural disasters are all part of the ‘CONVERGENCE’ of signs that this
Biblical and prophetic age is closing. Most people who study prophecy are
familiar with the routine reference(s) made that these things will be like
a woman having labor.

Thousands of Americans are expected
to perish in cities during future heat waves

The torrid episodes are especially
problematic in cities, where the concrete and asphalt sprawl traps heat,
boosting already unusually hot temperatures by some 2
to 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yet, as
average temperatures continue their relentless rise, the U.S. government expects urban dwellers to experience more heat extremes,
some unprecedented. Scientists, however, found that limiting Earth’s warming
this century to 2.7 degrees F (1.5 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial
temperatures will spare thousands of Americans during the hottest heat waves
(events that on average hit once every 30 years). The new research, published
Wednesday in the journal Science Advances, found that 2720 deaths
could be avoided in the most populous metropolis, New York City.

“We all know high temperatures
kill,” said Eunice Lo, lead author of the study and a research associate
at the University of Bristol. “We have all read news about people that
have died from extremely high temperatures. But I don’t think we are
particularly aware of how many deaths could occur from extremely high
temperatures.”

This simply
doesn’t bode well for the denizens of U.S. cities, where populations are expected to boom. But the big picture is clear: Curbing temperatures will save lives,
particularly in the 15 U.S. cities considered for this research.

“The
main result is true for all cities,” said Lo. “Heat related deaths
could be avoided if we limit global warming.”

Lo and her
team looked at daily deaths from 15 U.S. cities between 1987 to 2000 to see how
many people died from heat-related events. Then, accounting for population
increases, they simulated heat waves that would occur in a world that warmed by
1.5 C, 2 C, and 3 C. Compared to 3 C (5.4 degrees Fahrenheit) —
which is where Lo says we’re likely headed if nations fail to commit to
ambitious carbon cuts — many lives will likely be spared under the cooler
alternatives.

Los Angeles
is expected to avoid some 1085 deaths during an extreme heat wave under a 1.5 C
scenario, and 759 deaths under a 2 degree C scenario. Chicago would avoid
around 875 (1.5 C) and 636 (2 C) deaths.

In short,
there’s a lot of lives either spared or dead, between a world with 1.5 or 2 C
versus 3 C of warming. “It’s easy to think that one degree doesn’t make a
difference,” noted Lo. “But there’s a lot of difference.”

That so many
lives would be spared from extreme heat is little surprise.

“We
know that severe heat can have severe health effects,” said Noah
Diffenbaugh, a climate scientist at Stanford University who had no role in
study.

Diffenbaugh’s research has found that, if carbon emissions keep
increasing, much of the globe will experience “the permanent emergence of
unprecedented summer heat” in the coming decades. This means, by mid-century, even
“cool” summers will be hotter than the hottest summers we experience
today.

But, he
emphasized, the consequences of climate change aren’t a future idea. They’re
here. “It’s already clear that we are experiencing impacts from the global
warming that’s already happened,” he said.

Although
this research improves our understanding of how heat waves will impact the U.S.
populace, there are still some weighty questions, noted Justin Mankin, who
researches climate change at Dartmouth College and had no involvement in the
study.

Of note,
there’s a tremendous amount of difference between how each city’s inhabitants
react to heat waves, with people in Phoenix experiencing a far lower mortality
rate than folks in New York City, Mankin noted. Indeed, Arizonians may be
better adapted to handle high temperatures, or have buildings better designed
to keep cool. In short, things in New York City — which is projected to have
the largest losses — could change in time for better, or for worse. Without
understanding how future New Yorkers will respond to more extreme heat, it’s
difficult to know if Lo’s death projections are too high, or too low.

“So it’s pretty tough to say
whether the estimates here are conservative or aggressive,” said Mankin.

Also, a big factor in any heat wave
is humidity, which makes it challenging for people to cool off. The scope of
this study looked only at temperature, but it’s really the
“heat-humidity” combo that makes a sweltering New York all the more
dangerous than a bone dry Phoenix. Unfortunately for the denizens of U.S. cities, humidity
is expected to increase as global temperatures rise (the air
holds more moisture as the climate warms).

But the big
picture is clear, noted Mankin. Weighing temperature alone, the fate of many
people in the U.S. differs substantially between a climate stabilized at 1.5 C
or 2 C of warming, versus an extreme 3 C.

Lo thinks
Americans should take notice, specifically because the federal government is
currently led by the Trump administration, which has repeatedly proved hostile to climate science. Incredibly, one of the
president’s science advisors is adamant that the planet is in dire need of more carbon dioxide.

“If I
were a person in the U.S. and knew people in my own city could be affected by
adverse temperatures, a reasonable thing would be to vote for a party that
cares about climate,” said Lo.